Reading a plurality of codes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11354528-B2
Application number	US-202017116788-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2020
Priority date	Dec 12, 2019
Publication date	Jun 7, 2022
Grant date	Jun 7, 2022

Abstract

A code reading device for the parallel reading of a plurality of codes on a plurality of objects arranged next to one another is provided that has a camera unit having at least one camera head for recording an image of the objects, a control and evaluation unit that is configured to localize code zones of the codes in the image and to read the code information of the codes, and a display unit to present the image and to mark the read codes and/or objects having read codes, Here a hand reading unit for reading codes is provided to subsequently read codes not read by means of the camera unit and to transfer the subsequently read code information to the control and evaluation unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A code reading device for the parallel reading of a plurality of codes on a plurality of objects arranged next to one another, the code reading device comprising:
a camera unit having at least one camera head for recording an image of the objects, a control and evaluation unit that is configured to localize code zones of the codes in the image and to read the code information of the codes, a display unit to present the image and to mark the read codes and/or objects having read codes, and a hand reading unit for reading codes to subsequently read codes not read by means of the camera unit and to transfer the subsequently read code information to the control and evaluation unit,
wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to check whether a subsequently read code had already been previously read.

2. The code reading device in accordance with claim 1 ,
that has a plurality of camera heads, with the control and evaluation unit being configured to assemble the image data of the camera heads into one common image and/or to read the codes in the respective image data and to compare them with one another.

3. The code reading device in accordance with claim 1 ,
wherein the objects are located in a conveying unit.

4. The code reading device in accordance with claim 1 ,
wherein the objects are packs each having a unique code.

5. The code reading device in accordance with claim 4 ,
wherein the packs are for one of medicinal products and cigarettes.

6. The code reading device in accordance with claim 1 ,
wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to recognize the respective objects as a rectangle of detected edges.

7. The code reading device in accordance with claim 6 ,
wherein the control and evaluation unit is further configured to count the respective objects.

8. The code reading device in accordance with claim 1 ,
wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to mark at least one of codes and objects with respect to which no code has yet been read.

9. The code reading device in accordance with claim 1 ,
wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to localize subsequently read codes.

10. The code reading device in accordance with claim 1 ,
wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to localize a reading light spot produced on the objects by the hand reading unit.

11. The code reading device in accordance with claim 1 ,
wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to mark a subsequently read code.

12. The code reading device in accordance with claim 1 ,
wherein the display unit is configured as a touchscreen via which the code reading device is controlled.

13. The code reading device in accordance with claim 1 ,
wherein the camera unit has a changeable lighting unit,
and wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to record the objects multiple times under different lighting for the parallel reading of the codes.

14. The code reading device in accordance with claim 13 ,
wherein the changeable lighting unit has a plurality of illumination modules.

15. The code reading device in accordance with claim 13 ,
wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to record the objects multiple times under lighting from different directions.

16. The code reading device in accordance with claim 1 ,
wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured for an aggregation mode in which an aggregation code is initially read and the codes read afterward are associated with this aggregation code.

17. The code reading device in accordance with claim 1 , that has an interface to a higher ranking system in which the read codes are verified and/or logged out.

18. A method for the parallel reading of a plurality of codes on a plurality of objects arranged next to one another, in which method an image of the objects is recorded by a camera unit in which image code zones of the codes are localized and the code information of the codes is read,
wherein the image is presented and the read codes and/or objects having read codes are marked,
wherein a determination is made whether a subsequently read code had already been previously read
and wherein codes not read by means of the camera unit are subsequently read by a hand reading unit for reading codes and the code information read by the camera unit and by the hand reading unit is collected together.

19. A code reading device for the parallel reading of a plurality of codes on a plurality of objects arranged next to one another, the code reading device comprising:
a camera unit having at least one camera head for recording an image of the objects, a control and evaluation unit that is configured to localize code zones of the codes in the image and to read the code information of the codes, a display unit to present the image and to mark the read codes and/or objects having read codes, and a hand reading unit for reading codes to subsequently read codes not read by means of the camera unit and to transfer the subsequently read code information to the control and evaluation unit; and
an interface to a higher ranking system in which the read codes are verified and/or logged out.

Assignees

• Sick Ag

Inventors

• Lais Stefan
• Hafner Carl
• Maier Rainer
• Heuser Karsten
• Held Matthias
• Schlegel Helge

Classifications

• G06Q30/0185

  Product, service or business identity fraud · CPC title

• G06K7/10861

  sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels (postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48) · CPC title

• A61J2205/40

  by shape or form, e.g. by using shape recognition · CPC title

• G16H70/40

  relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage · CPC title

• A61J1/00

  Containers specially adapted for medical or pharmaceutical purposes (capsules or the like for oral use A61J3/07; specially adapted for surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments A61B50/30; containers for radioactive substances G21F5/00) · CPC title